According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1 in 31 patients will be infected with bacteria due to hospitalization every day. Medical staff have a higher risk of infection because they work in an environment full of bacteria for a long time. Recently, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell have invented a textile fabric that can destroy bacteria. It is said that the fabric can effectively block the spread of infectious germs.
The research team melted a fungicide called N-halamine into the fabric In fibers, medical staff and patients can effectively reduce the risk of infection with harmful bacteria by wearing such clothing with germicides. It is understood that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will provide US$417,000 in funding for this project over the next two years.
In addition, considering that the performance of bactericides will gradually weaken when clothes are exposed to bacterial environments for a long time, the researchers also developed a method to add antibacterial agents during the washing process. Bleach to improve the antibacterial properties of halamine compounds. The leader of the research team said: “Clothing wearers can use potassium iodide test paper to test the performance of halamine compounds. If there is no chemical reaction after the test paper comes into contact with the clothes, it means that the halamine compounds on the clothes have lost their activity. You only need to put the clothes in oil and bleach them. Just wash in clean water with detergent.”
Before this invention came out, medical staff wanted to remove harmful bacteria from clothes. Change clothes frequently. According to current survey results, some health care institutions only clean the uniforms of medical staff every 11 to 13 days, while hospitals wash them every half a day to two days. At the same time, many hospitals adopt centralized cleaning methods, and routine cleaning procedures cannot remove pathogens, which can easily lead to cross-infection of clothing.
Preliminary research shows that fabrics treated with halamine compounds (N-halamine) can effectively resist bacteria including E. coli, MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. of pathogens. In addition to clothing, researchers also considered that fabrics such as sheets and bedding in medical institutions are also prone to breeding bacteria, and a statistical result they conducted showed that about 37% of hospitals in the United States only have curtains with obvious stains. It will be cleaned only when necessary. The research team is currently testing the properties of other fabrics in the hope of developing fabrics that can resist more pathogens. </p
